Diy LEDs vs prebuilt

me & my baby · Feb 13, 2016

i am at a cross roads . I know I want LEDs I like the idea of diy but I also like the ease of the prebuilt what are the pros and cons of both my tank is 42l x32wide x 24 tall and it will mostly sps

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 13, 2016

go pre built. save the your self the hassle. It all takes a LOT of work. so give yourself one.
Tie a bow on it and Happy Valentines day!

Not sure your budget but after parts Plus your labor it really adds up to sixes.
ther's a product now a days for all budget that will work well or great.
Ebay chinese mars aqua $89 youll need 2 maybe 3 if you want.
Id like to try the sbreef lights. The even offer a prebuilt board.
https://sbreeflights.com/7-sbox-upgrade-retro-fit-kits

ifarmer · Feb 13, 2016

DIY sucks. and way way more expensive and has zero resale values.
They look ugly, messy and not very safe.
Go with the premade ones. there are tons of full spectrum led light out there , no need for DIY.
Besides, the parts for DIY are not cheap. It cost way way more than the premade fixtures.
DIY made sense 4-5 years ago and could still makes sense on some small tight system with a build in canopy where you could not fit the premade fixture.
good luck

me & my baby · Feb 13, 2016

What do you men they are not safe ,

me & my baby · Feb 13, 2016

I have looked at prebuilt and it would cost me about 1500.00 for 3 lights I can do the sky for half of that

mcarroll · Feb 13, 2016

Just for one more perspective on price points...

A DIY gu10 light like mine uses no vanity colored lights or fancy ramping timers. It turns on and off like a good, old-fashined metal halide fixture.

A gu10-based setup like that will run you around $25 per square foot of tank surface....somewhere around $230 for the tank you described in post #1.

You can build more into it than that, but remember that every feature beyond $230 is for you, not the corals - they don't need it.

And this light will be shaped for your tank - how you build it....not a generic design.

That said, I also have a Maxspect Razor over my other tank. The ramping timers are pretty cool. Worth the difference in cost? That may depend on your wallet and tastes. The coral in both tanks seem equally happy.

TheEngineer · Feb 13, 2016

How comfortable are you with DIY? I've built fixtures in the past and if you're good you can do it for cheap. I built a fixture for my 4' tank for under $1000 in 2007. Parts are way cheaper today than they were then.

I have a Kessil now and like it. I did windup adding an extra 430nm LED to it though.

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 13, 2016

Big thumb

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 13, 2016

What a trip.
$750 buys a light now a days that will set that tank on fire and makes cappuccino.
It's only 24 x 42

me & my baby · Feb 13, 2016

Well I have found a set up a guy is selling it has 108 led 36 cool white 36 royal blue 12 blue 4 green 4 reed and 20 violet uv 10 mean well driver 8 are dimmable and 2 that are not . Heat sinks and controller for 300.00 and I was just going to build it . All the LEDs are Cree

Reefing Madness · Feb 13, 2016

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MarsAqua-Di...496493?hash=item5b029756ad:g:YmoAAOSw5dNWsBBc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/i-Galaxy-LE...hash=item3f3030eca8:m:m5apOFQ5-aqyNT_avwIyitw

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 14, 2016

SBreeflights. You can actually talk to them right here on this forum.
Click the link. Dim able ramps. Bla bla bla. Wanna see the thread where the kid smoked his bounce shroom?
Jus sayin

TheEngineer · Feb 14, 2016

me & my baby said:
Well I have found a set up a guy is selling it has 108 led 36 cool white 36 royal blue 12 blue 4 green 4 reed and 20 violet uv 10 mean well driver 8 are dimmable and 2 that are not . Heat sinks and controller for 300.00 and I was just going to build it . All the LEDs are Cree

That's way overkill. Cheap enough though and you could run it at low power.

flounder · Feb 14, 2016

Diy is cheaper. But does not come with the software to control everything. Also as stated has very little resell value.

blackgrouper79 · Feb 14, 2016

Reefing Madness said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MarsAqua-Di...496493?hash=item5b029756ad:g:YmoAAOSw5dNWsBBc
http://www.ebay.com/itm/i-Galaxy-LE...hash=item3f3030eca8:m:m5apOFQ5-aqyNT_avwIyitw

thank you for those links. I can actually afford LEDs. is there some kind of catch to these lights vs. what I'm used to seeing (these are under $200 for 2 165watt units where everything else that I've seen would cost like $600 for just one unit.)? they are advertised as "full spectrum", are the "good $600" units something different/better? I am way over due on a T5 bulb swap and I was going to go with the new E5s. however, I only have 4 48'' 54watt T5s on a standard 90 gallon so I've been wanting to upgrade to LEDS. if my T5 set up was a 6 or 8 bulb set up I'd be more inclined to stick with that set up and just try out the E5s. now I'm really lost as far as what route to take--I'm open for any advice. thanks again for the links.
thanks in advance for any advice….

Reefing Madness · Feb 15, 2016

If you look at the Reef Radiance ver these units, they are identical. So, I don't see the need to spend a ton of money on a unit just because of the name.

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 15, 2016

Are you talking about the SB lights?
What I do like about them is for not much more you can get good ramping and timers plus upgraded colors on the higher end too and not blow the budget.

If you have better suggestions in the price range with the same extras I'd def like to know.